By Kingston Magare 7/4/2025
Despite police order that the Take-It-Back movement not to venture out to protest on Monday, protesters across the country took to the streets in major cities to express their anger at government policy.
In Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt there were pockets of demonstrations against government economic policies, threats to democratic rule as was seen in President Bola Tinubu declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State and the general state of insecurity in the country.
In Abuja protesters who were marching peacefully were teargassed the Nigerian police. In Lagos however, there was no incident as the marchers went about their demonstrations in a peaceful manner. They gathered at Ikeja Under-Bridge before moving to the Lagos State secretariat in Alausa and then to the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota.
In Port Harcourt there was no such cooperation between the protesters and the police. The police insisted that they must not have access to the Isaac Boro Park, Port Harcourt, venue of their gathering, since they have no permission. The protesters protest insisted that they had informed the police command of their plan stage the demonstration in a letter dated April 3, 2025. T
However, the protestors broke into solidarity chants and began to march from the park toward the popular Aba Express Road. The policemen were on their trail caught up with them and they fired multiple tear gas canisters, forcing the protesters to flee in different directions for safety.
In Yobe, the coordinator of the Take-It-Back Movement (TIB), Abubakar Jawa, was arrested alongside four others as the police insisted that they have no permission to gather.
National Coordinator of the Take-It-Back Movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, said the President Bola Tinubu need to wake up and tackle the problems of inflation, insecurity and his flagrant disregard for law and other in the country by his administration.
